Las Vegas- Most baseball fans will remember the controversial call in Game 6 of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals, when runner Trea Turner was banned for interference.
Referee accuracy is a frustration for fans and players in almost every game.
This season, MLB launched so-called “robot umpires” at 11 Pacific Coast League Triple-A teams, moving away from reaching the major leagues to improve accuracy and reduce lags.
The Automated Ball and Strike System (ABS) debuted in a Las Vegas Aviators game earlier this month.
As cool and weird as it is to see “Jetsons”-style robots on the pitch, most fans won’t notice the real device: eight surveillance cameras atop the stands.
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Home plate umpire Brian deBrauwere, left, crawls behind Freedom Division catcher James Skelton of the York Revolution as the official wears an earpiece during the first inning of the All Minor League baseball game -Star of the Atlantic League, Wednesday, July 10, 2019, at York, Dad.
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Like hot dogs and beer, some argue that booing umpires for a bad call is a tradition in baseball games.
“Shout out to the ref, just have a good time. You know, it makes the game authentic, makes it real,” said Ronaldo Echeverria, a Las Vegas Aviators fan.
But umpires make human errors, so MLB introduced an automated ball-and-hit system to increase call accuracy and reduce delays.
The Las Vegas Aviators Ballpark uses an automated ball and hitting system. (Ashley Soriano/Fox News)
(Fox News)
“I think people mistakenly think it will be a robot behind the disc. ‘Lost in Space’ is one of my favorite series. That’s not the ‘Lost in Space’ robot over there,” Aviators manager Jim Gemma said. media relations, Fox News told Digital. “The referee will have AirPods in it and the ball will come… It tells them right away if it’s a ball or a kick.”
Cameras at the top of the stands detect the attack zone according to the height of the players.
Major League Baseball debuted “robot umpires” on 11 Triple-A teams in mid-May.
(MLB)
Once he determines if the throw was a ball or a hit, a robotic voice tells the referee through an earpiece.
abs was first introduced in July 2019 in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
He has now reached the top of the minor leagues and the majors could be next.
“At its core, sport is a human enterprise, and we like to support our fans. We like to defame referees,” said Rayvon Fouché, professor of American studies at Purdue University. “It’s a sports theater and part of it would be lost if we moved to robotics services.”
Fouché studied technology in sport.
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He said there was not enough evidence yet to know whether this technology improves the accuracy of referees.
Fans are divided.
The Las Vegas Aviators used the new ABS system in the first home game of the season on May 31. (Ashley Soriano/Fox News)
(Fox News)
“It’s good in some ways, but not in baseball. Baseball is an old-school game,” Aviators fan David Baird told Fox News Digital.
“In very high-stakes situations, like the World Series, we need the most accurate call you know,” added Damian Young, another Aviators fan.
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MLB said it’s possible the system could eventually be rolled out to major league games, but they haven’t released a potential timeline.
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